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Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Dietary Insulin And Colon Cancer

The Study

In this investigation, Harvard
researchers created a dietary scoring system of foods that promote a high
insulin response. They called it the Empirical Dietary Index for
Hyperinsulinemia (EDIH). This is different than the glycemic index, which
focuses on the blood sugar effects of carbohydrate containing foods. This index
includes all foods that spike insulin after consumption.

The food groups that
contributed to a low EDIH score included wine, coffee, fruit, high fat dairy
products and green leafy vegetables.

Over 120,000 men and women from
the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professional Follow-up Study had an
EDIH score calculated for their diet and were followed for 26 years. Subjects
with the greatest EDIH score had a statistically significant 26% higher risk of
colon cancer when compared to subjects with the lowest EDIH score. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2018; 108:363-70.

Take Home Message

When choosing a diet to promote weight loss, you always
want to look at the long-term health effects of the diet as well.

The EDIH score takes the idea of the glycemic index a
step further. The GI focuses on the blood sugar effects of carbohydrate foods. The
EDIH score includes any food that increases insulin. A lot of these foods are
proteins. Many popular current diets are really high in animal protein, and
this study makes you think twice about them.

As far as mechanisms go, it is thought that very high
levels of insulin, and insulin derived growth hormone may be carcinogenic.

In addition to keeping your glycemic index low, it is a
good idea to go easy on the animal proteins. It is particularly important to
limit red meat and processed meats. It is also a good idea to substitute
vegetable proteins such as beans, nuts, whole grains and legumes for animal
proteins whenever possible.